Federal government brings part-time student loans in line with
full-time regulations, while still nearing $15-billion debt ceiling
graduates play on the road to this country’s economic recovery.
“That’s why the Government of Canada
CUP Western Bureau Chief
continues to focus on helping more students reach their education goals.”
The spokesperson went on to write
VANCOUVER (CUP) — Part-time students will now be treated like their full- that this change is in line with previous
time counterparts when it comes to stu- changes to student loans made by the
government earlier this year, including
dent loans.
In December, the federal government increasing earnings exemptions for peoannounced that people with part-time ple with full-time student loans, allowing
student loans will no longer accrue inter- part-time students with higher family inest on their loans until after their stud- comes to qualify for loans and forgiving
portions of loans for
ies have been comnew physicians and
pleted, bringing the
nurses who choose
program in line with
to work in rural or
the full-time loan
remote
communiprogram.
ties.
“Economic recovThe NDP’s critic
ery continues to be
for post-secondary
our top priority,”
education, Rathika
said Diane Finley,
Sitsabaiesan, isn’t
Minister of Huimpressed by the
man Resources and
announcement.
Skills Development,
“There aren’t a lot
in a press release.
of actual part-time
“We’re
helping
students, so it’s not
Canadians gain the
actually affecting a
skills and educalot of students,” said
tion required to parthe Scarborough—
ticipate in today’s
Rouge River MP.
workforce and conShe went on to
tribute to Canada’s
say that instead of
overall
economic
broadening access
prosperity.”
—Rathika Sitsabaiesan to student loans, the
Active
students
government needs
with part-time loans
to shift towards easwill still have to
ing the debt burden
pay any interest accumulated before Jan. 1, 2012, but won’t on students.
“Instead of burdening students and
accrue any further interest until they’ve
either completed their studies or stopped their families, which are usually working families using all of their life savings
attending a post-secondary institution.
A spokesperson for Human Resources towards educating their children, [the
and Skills Development Canada (HRS- government should] provide grants rather
DC) stated in an email to Canadian Uni- than loans,” she said.
Sitsabaiesan pointed to the fact that toversity Press that the change was prompted by a desire to achieve parity between tal Canadian student debt is close to surthe part-time and full-time student loan passing the $15-billion ceiling set by the
programs, as well as to help boost the Canadian Student Financial Assistance
Act.
economy.
“In the act, it was set that $15 billion
“The Government of Canada recognizes the vital role that post-secondary dollars was the ceiling that could ever

Arshy Mann

“Having more
loans available
is not really going to make
education more
accessible.”

PHOTO BY STEVEN W. DENGLER (Wikimedia Commons)
be reached for amount of [student] debt
that ... could be outstanding at any given
time.”
According to a government commissioned actuarial report on the Canada
Student Loans Program released in July
2010, the $15 billion ceiling will likely be
breached in early 2013.
If that occurs, the government would
either have to find ways to reduce student
debt or else amend the legislation in order
to increase the ceiling.
Back in 2000, the Liberal government
pushed up the ceiling from $5 billion to
$10 billion.
Sitsabaiesan said that the best way for
the federal government to ease the debt
burden on students would be to create a
dedicated post-secondary transfer fund
similar to the Canada Health Transfer.
Presently, funding for post-secondary
education is included in the broader Can-

ada Social Transfer.
Because provincial governments have
discretion over how the money from
the Canada Social Transfer is spent, the
amount that goes to post-secondary education can vary from year to year.
“There’s no stability. So [post-secondary institutions] are turning to create
their own sense of stability by continuing to increase tuition fees by the max
amount each year.”
Back in June, Sitsabaiesan presented a
private member’s bill proposing the creation of a dedicated post-secondary transfer, but it has not passed first reading.
Without structural changes at the federal level for how post-secondary education
is financed, Sitsabaiesan believes student
debt will continue to grow unabated.
“Having more loans available is not really going to make education more accessible,” she said.

Why does our government even
bother making up numbers if they’re
just going to change them at will?
“Back in 2000, the Liberal government pushed up the ceiling from $5
billion to $10 billion,” and I fully expect when we reach that new $15 billion “ceiling,” which is expected to be
reached in 2013, they will simply do it
again.
So basically — if I have this right
— our government is simply making it
easier and easier for students to go further and further into debt instead of figuring out a way to, I don’t know…make
education more affordable so they don’t
have to borrow so much money to better themselves via continuing to learn?
“…the Government of Canada continues to focus on helping more students reach their educational goals,”
says the spokesman for HRSDC.
Who is going to focus on helping
them afford it, though?

Making loans easier to get — or
making the loans larger — while making education more accessible, doesn’t
make it more affordable.
That’s the real problem with the postsecondary system in Canada right now.
It’s not that people can’t get into an
institution. It’s not even that they can’t
afford to pay tuition costs. It’s that they
can’t afford to pay tuition costs and live
inside with electricity and heat and eat
food all at the same time.
When you combine these loan ideas
with the fact that a recent study that
TRU economics student Jeff Hicks
conducted in partnership with the
United Way showed the “living wage”
(what someone in Kamloops needs to
earn to survive without a desperate
struggle) is in the $17/hour at 35 hours
per week, it’s amazing that more people
aren’t living on the street — let alone
attending a post-secondary institution.
So making education more accessible (by giving out more in loans) only
makes it more difficult for someone
coming out of school to be comfort-

able financially, when the goal (generally) of going to university in the first
place is to ease the financial burden on
yourself and your family by earning a
higher wage because of your education.
With these new loan deferrals, at
least students aren’t generating interest
on their debt while in school.
I’ve got it!
Everyone continue to take ONE
class per semester at a post-secondary
institution after you graduate.
That way you ease your financial
burden by not generating a load of interest, and can likely claim that you
don’t actually have to start repaying yet
as you chip away at your debt at your
leisure.
Note:
This article is in no way intended to
be financial advice. The concept of taking one class per semester after graduation to put oneself in a better financial
position is purely a hypothetical one.

PHOTO BY TAYLOR ROCCA
Students line up to grudgingly pay their fees. They can
afford it now, maybe, but will they be struggling upon
graduation?

Literary and visual submissions are welcomed.
All submissions are subject to editing for brevity,
taste and legality. The Omega will attempt to
publish each letter received, barring time and
space constraints. The editor will take care not to
change the intention or tone of submissions, but
will not publish material deemed to exhibit sexism,
racism or homophobia. Letters for publication
must include the writer’s name (for publication)
and contact details (not for publication). The
Omega reserves the right not to publish any letter
or submitted material. Opinions expressed in the
Letters & Opinion section do not represent those
of The Omega, the Cariboo Student Newspaper
Society, its Board of Directors or its staff.
Opinions belong only to those who have signed
them.

copyright

All material in this publication is copyright The
Omega and may not be reproduced without the
expressed consent of the publisher. All unsolicited
submissions become copyright Omega 2012.

Winter semester is back in session here at TRU, which means
we’re leading up to conference
season again!
A great time for students to
showcase their academic efforts
(and a great time to see others’),
there are two immediately relevant conferences that I urge everyone to take advantage of.
The 2012 TRU Philosophy,
History, and Politics Conference
will take place this coming weekend (Jan. 12 to 14).
Held mainly in the International Building with a few speakers
and events being put on in the
Brown Family House of Learning, the two-day conference is
quickly becoming one of Western
Canada’s premier undergraduate
conferences.
From the power of religion in
western culture to examinations
of consciousness and self hood
all the way to early modern European law and philosophies developed in ancient Greece, there will
surely be at least one topic (and
likely many) that will hold your
interest — and possibly open you
up to a new area of exploration in
your own studies or research.
This year’s keynote speech is
entitled “Cosmopolitanism and
Global Citezenship” and will explore the idea of cosmopolitanism being a problematic starting
point for theorizing global ethics
or politics and the idea of human
rights and interdependency be-

ing a far better place to begin a
system of political and ethical
theory.
The address will be given by
Dr. Barbara Arneil of the University of British Columbia, who
served as senior policy advisor to
the Hon. Lloyd Axworthy from
1994-1996 and has published various works on the subject of foreign policy and received numerous awards for her research and
teaching excellence.
The organisers ask that students interested in attending
register online by following the
conference links from the TRU
website and then sign in at the
registration table so their attendance fees are covered by CUEF
subsidy.
If philosophy history or politics are not really up your alley,
there is another great opportunity
coming up in March to show off
your hard work or check out others’ endeavours.
The seventh annual TRU Undergraduate Innovation and Research Conference takes place on
Mar. 30 and 31 this year, and it is
a great way to present anything
from scientific research to creative writing pieces and everything in between.
Academic poster displays and
oral presentations will be judged
and awards given for the best of
the best in various categories, so
you might end up being rewarded
for your efforts (even more than
the personal reward of a job well
done).
Check out tru.ca/rigs.ugc for
registration and other information on the event, but get on it
soon — the deadline for proposals is Jan. 27.
Whatever your area of study
or interest, there is a conference
coming up where you can further
your academic career and get a
jump-start on your future by participating, so take advantage of
these great opportunities to show
off and support others’ academic
efforts, too.
editorofomega@gmail.com

The Philosophy, History, and Politics conference (top image)
runs from Jan. 12-14 and has a wide range of topics being
discussed. Get out this weekend and support your fellow
academics.
An even wider range of ideas will be explored at the
seventh annual TRU Undergraduate Student Innovation
and Research Conference this coming March. There is
still time to get your proposal in, but the deadline is fast
approaching.

We’re taking applications for another editorial position
until Jan. 13. Check the ad on page 5 for details.

Ways to get off campus and help out in the community

Omega
is on
Twitter:
@TRU_
OMEGA

Know Your
Community
Amy Berard

Several community groups in Kamloops will provide youth with a chance to
get involved and give back. The opportunities to pitch in extend well beyond the
TRU campus.
Big Brothers Big Sisters offers students two different programs with fairly

low time commitments that will leave
you with a warm and fuzzy feeling.
The sports mentorship program pairs
you up with a Little who is between the
ages of 6 and 16 years old and of the same
gender.
As long as you share a passion for the
same sport — from hockey to skateboarding — you meet up every two
weeks for a few hours with an activity
related to the sport.
This could mean playing the game
itself, bringing them to practice or just
cheering them on.
The second program is in-school mentoring where you commit one hour per
week to hang out with a “little” from kindergarten to grade seven.
This is a chance for you to be their
friend and do something non-academic
like play in their school gym or work on
arts and crafts.
Most of the “littles” are from singleparent families and have low self-esteem,
so your friendship makes a difference.

Male students are particularly encouraged to apply as young boys often spend
one to two years on a waitlist since there
is a shortage of male mentors.
The commitment generally runs for
the length of the school year, but it isn’t
too late to sign up.
After a one month screening process
that is short but thorough, you can be
paired up with a “little.”
Kamloops Fusion Rotaract is the
youth version of Rotary International. It
is open to youth ages 18 to 30 and they
meet every Tuesday evening at 5:30 p.m.
at Flavours of India.
They focus on service-type projects
in our community or internationally and
offer professional development activities.
Love Your Neighbour is a registrytype, faith-based group that offers students a chance to sign up for activities
like landscaping, moving, and construction.
It’s as simple as contacting the organization, filling out a volunteer application

form, and waiting for a call that they need
your help.
This is a low time commitment during
the semester and a chance to meet people
off-campus.
And of course, the TRU Students’
Union has 70 student clubs listed on their
website. Interests range from pre-med to
socialism and chess to moustaches.
All of these clubs are on campus making them simple for you to access and it is
easy enough to start your own. The union
also offers a volunteer registry so you can
sign up and attend a monthly volunteer
activity.
Take some time for yourself and the
community this semester – try volunteering.
Amy Berard is a TRU business student
and the campus liaison for United Way.
To get connected with the community,
email her at youth@unitedwaytnc.ca

4

January 11, 2012

News
Students demand more transparency from TRUSU
Access to information regarding fees collected sometimes hard to come by
Ian Cowie

Omega contributor
More and more student unions are publishing financial statements online. Currently student unions at UBC, UVIC,
SFU, UofA and UofC publish financial
statements online showing executive’s
salaries and audited financial statements.
However, the Thompson Rivers University Student Union holds the management
of their finances much more closely.
Nathan Lane, executive director of the
student union, isn’t sure the TRUSU budget should be as accessible.
“It doesn’t make much sense for us as
a membership to publicly produce our
documents,” said Lane.
“We don’t distribute financial documents for a few different reasons; so that
we don’t have a lot of drafts out there, but
also so that when people have questions
we can be there to answer them and provide some context.”
The annual TRUSU budget, which is
approximately $1.1 million, can currently

TRUSU’s
f inances
predominately
be viewed in one of two ways.
First, students can make an appoint- come from the student membership fees.
TRUSU membership fees are among
ment with Lane to see a copy of the budget or audit, provided no copies leave the the highest in Wester n Canada at $75
per semester for students taking nine or
student union office.
This can be difficult for a variety of rea- more credits, and $40 per semester for
students taking eight
sons,
especially
or less. These amounts
considering how
do not include a buildbusy students and
ing levy fee (which is
Lane are during
why it looks like more
the semester.
on your f inancial inThe second way
voice).
to see the budget
Some students feel
is at the annual
that a two-hour meetgeneral meeting
ing with Nathan or the
that takes place in
shor t amount of time
January each year.
allotted at the annual
Kiera Gonyea, a
—Kiera Gonyea
general meeting is not
third-year advensuff icient for students
ture tourism student at TRU, believes there should be more to critically examine the budget.
“If students knew where and how their
transparency with TRUSU finances.
“I think students should have the right to money was being spent they might be
view the budget whenever they want,” said more engaged in student life,” said Gonyea.
Gonyea.
Other schools have recently had con“Ultimately it is our money that is being
f licts between student politicians and
spent.”

“Ultimately it
is our money
being spent. ”

That’s what you said

students over how union money was being spent.
At Kwantlen Polytechnic University
students ar ranged a special annual general meeting to discuss and deal with a
board they believed to be misusing some
funds.
According to the CBC, University of
Prince Edward Island has also come into
conf lict due to lack of transparency from
the student union around the budget.
This has lead to a working budget being published despite protests by the
council, which is wor ried the numbers
may be misinter preted by students.
“Our procedure around f inances is not
set by us.
“It is dictated in the policy manual of
the student union and in the by-laws,”
said Lane.
In order to make any str uctural change
to TRUSU there has to be a minimum of
10 per cent of the student population or
50 members in agreement.
This year’s annual general meeting is
scheduled to take place on Jan 25, 2012.

For this week’s issue, we patrolled the grounds looking for your answers to this question:

Do you agree with the student union’s policy of keeping their financial statements
to themselves or do you think that they should be easily accessible for students?

--Falk Rutha, fourth year natural
resource sciences.

--Katrina McNeely, first year arts.

--Adrian Miller, third year
psychology

“I think it should be available.
“If I decide to look it up it shouldn’t
be too difficult to look it up on the
website and have a little button there.
“I don’t think it matters [if the public sees it].
“The students for sure because we
are the ones paying the fees so I think
we have a right to know how fees are
being spent.”

“I think it should definitely be accessible for students.
“I think we should be aware of
where our money is going.
“If we aren’t educated as to where
our money is going we don’t have
any chance to have a say in where
our money is going, but if we are
educated we could have meetings as
to where the money is going.”

“I completely disagree with that.
I believe that transparency and accountability are key to government.
“I think honesty is the best disinfectant to any allegation of wrongdoing.
I would love to know what they are
spending money on.
“I’m aware that Mr. Lane has a very
good compensation package...I’m
ashamed that the student union, who
often advocate transparency for the
school board at TRU, is not going to
be advocating transparency for themselves.”

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The Omega 路 Volume 21, Issue 15

5

Omega Sponsors
EDITOR WANTED
For the Winter 2012 Semester
Position Available: Roving Editor
General Responsibilities:
1. Attend weekly staff meetings (Monday evening, usually about 1 hour).
2. Work with other staff members and volunteers to generate sufficient copy
for each issue.
3. Edit/Proof submissions for style, merit, and factuality.
4. Work with the Photography and Graphics editors, if applicable, to ensure
sufficient artwork is completed in a timely manner to accompany content.
5. Communicate with production staff and the editor-in-chief throughout the
week about the progress of their section/assignments.
We are looking for: Highly motivated, creative and innovative individuals
who are passionate about writing.
The position offers renumerations of: $75.00 per issue honourarium.
Mandatory Requirement: The chosen candidate must maintain student status at TRU, being enrolled in at least one course in good standing.
Interested parties may submit a resume, covering letter and 2-3 samples of
previous work (or potential story ideas if no writing samples are available).

Submit applications to Mike Davies at
editorofomega@gmail.com

Are you a TRU club that wants
some ink? We have a deal for you.
Contact us for details!

Prospective advertisers should contact
Natasha at:
managerofomega@gmail.com and check
out our production schedule and rate
card at www.theomega.ca

6

January 11, 2012

Arts & Entertainment

The Last Best West

The latest and greatest from Nick Faye and the Deputies
Cory Hope

Arts and Entertainment Editor
In the unlikely event that Buffalo
Tom and Dinosaur Jr. were to have
a love child, the resulting offspring
would undoubtedly sound like Nick
Faye.
Of course, Nick Faye and the Deputies have managed to pull off that particular sound even without that fictitious genetic makeup, or, in the case
of Nick himself, ever having heard of
Buffalo Tom.
Hailing from Regina, Saskatchewan,
Nick Faye and The Deputies released
their most critically acclaimed album
so far, The Last Best West, in May 2011.
The Last Best West is “an album you
come back to,” according to Nick.
While I thought this was an odd
statement for an artist to make about
his own album, it turns out he’s right.
The first time I heard this CD, I enjoyed it and put it away for a short time.
Then, when it came back out to the
top of the pile, it was played again.
Within another day it was on my
iPod.
It’s the kind of CD in which the enjoyment of listening to it builds, rather
than peaking right away.
It’s the kind of music you’ll listen to
longer.
Perhaps the lag time in enjoying this
album stems from the opening track.
While the first track of many CDs is
selected to set the mood of the album,
the opening track on this one, Housing,
seems out of place.
Housing is a slower track, which I

think would have been better placed at
the end of the CD where it could have
served as an outro.
While it isn’t necessarily a bad song,
it’s not representative of the rest of the
album, and might dissuade potential
listeners from continuing to listen to it.
But I won’t dwell on the placement
of one song.
A simple change of track numbers on
my playlist can fix that in seconds, and
the rest of the album more than makes
up for this one minor detail.
When asked about the life as a musician on the Prairies, Nick was enthusiastic about the music scene in the area.
With many friends in local bands, he
collects their talents in the recording
studio in an effort to “make recording
fun.”
Nick tries to balance the life of student and musician, although he admits
that being in university takes its toll on
the amount of time and effort he can
put into touring and promoting his album.
“Touring, even solo, takes its toll financially and physically,” he said.
The desire to hit the road and play
shows while incurring a financial toll
is an indication of musicians playing
for the love of playing, and it provides
an authentic feel to the music.
With songs about driving down the
prairie roads with the windows rolled
down, much of Nick Faye’s music is entirely relatable to anyone who has ever
been sitting in a classroom, looking out
the window and dreaming of simple
pleasures.
Or (obviously) those driving down
the road with their windows down.

The Last Best West, Nick Faye and the Deputies’ latest album, has made its way
into our arts and entertainment editor’s regular rotation, which is really saying
something. He’s kind of a music snob—which isn’t a bad thing for an arts and
entertainment editor. (Image courtesy Nick Faye)

Overspend over the holidays? Check out some
free Kamloops venues and get some culture, too.
Cory Hope

Arts and Entertainment Editor
It’s that time of year again.
You know the time I’m talking about.
Your bank statement comes out reading
the numerical equivalent of, “It’s just
after Christmas and your student loan
hasn’t come in yet,” which I won’t dare
spell out in numbers here, in case it might
embarrass you.
But you still feel the need to go out and
have a good time with your friends.
You might have some snappy new
clothes.
Maybe somebody back home gave you a
bottle of something fancy.
The only thing missing is the finances
you became so used to, way back in September when that last student loan cheque
came in.
So what are you supposed to do to have
a good time in Kamloops when the ATM
refuses to print your balance because the
paper is worth more than the words written on it?
Get culture.
Okay, I know that sounds a but weird,
but while you’re waiting for that cheque
to come in, there are things that you can
do for reasonably cheap, and sometimes
even free, which you can do under the
guise of getting culture.
Let’s start on campus.
The TRU art gallery changes what is
displayed there every few weeks.
Although it’s usually student-based
works (and you might be astounded at
what some of your peers are capable of ),
there are at times works by visiting artists from across Canada of varying de-

grees of fame.
Even if you walk into the TRU gallery,
or any other gallery for that matter, and
say to yourself, “That’s art? I could do
that,” it should be worth your while.
It might even inspire you to go out and
put your money where your mouth is and
make some art yourself, if it looks that
easy to you.
Or it might look like enough of a challenge to inspire you to try something new
yourself.
After leaving campus, you might want
to hit up the Arnica Artist Run Centre in
the Old Courthouse on 1st and Seymour.
On top of being a cool-looking building, it also happens to be a place where
you can go and check out more (predominantly) local artists.
Make sure you drink lots of coffee before you go so you have an excuse to visit
the bathrooms while you’re there.
I’ve often wondered if the bathrooms
were renovated after the building became
a hostel a while back, but I’ve never asked
about it.
Bring a towel and freshen up in the
showers - I dare you.
Now that you’re all spiffy and clean,
it’s time to go to The Art We Are and grab
a tasty treat or some coffee.
There are enough vegan and vegetarian options to satisfy some of the most
finicky of diets, and for any naysayers
who might be wondering why they might
be tempted to have vegan food if they’re
not a vegan themselves - you have not had
vegan food.
It’s delicious.
Now that you’re downtown, fed and
caffeinated, it’s time for you to ask yourself - is it Tuesday or Thursday, by any

PHOTO BY CORY HOPE
The Arnica Artist Run Centre at the Old Courthouse is a great place to check
out some work by local artists before continuing your tour of downtown
free venues.

chance?
If it’s Tuesday, you can head on over to
the Paramount Theatre, because not only
do they play some of the lesser-known
films, but they also have Twoonie Tuesdays.
A movie for two bucks? Yup.
If it’s Thursday, you can art it up a little
bit more by heading to the Kamloops Art
Gallery.
The KAG is open all week, but on
Thursdays it’s free and open later than
their normal business hours.

I’m aware that there are all kinds of
places offering drink specials, and I am
also aware of the appeal of this fact.
My reasoning for leaving these events
off of this list is that even if you don’t
have these events written down, odds are
at least one of your friends has the map
of cheap booze written down on a napkin
somewhere on his or her person.
Hopefully your cheques will come in
soon, and life can get back to normal, but
until then, I hope these other options will
carry you through the days.

7

The Omega · Volume 21, Issue 15

Life & Community
Christmas, Where Are You?
A not-too-late reminder of the bah-humbug of the season
Omega Contributor
It’s been a long time coming,
however 2011 was the year it all
became clear.
I am too old for Christmas.
Or I should rather say I’m too
old to act like a kid at Christmas.
Gone are the days when my
aunts and uncles would bring
me ar mfuls of gifts and ask
what Santa brought for me.
Now if I were to receive gifts
aplenty outside of my nuclear
bubble, it would be evidence in
the trial of a spoiled individual.
This holiday season is for the
young and apparently it is my
time to step aside and let others
shine.
This year it was all about essentials.
No extravagant or long sought
after gifts, just ever yday things.
I’m ashamed to say this resulted in a minor meltdown on
Christmas mor ning — thinking about f irst world problems
— but as the shock subsided, I
remembered the real reason I go

home each year...and it’s not for
presents, but the fabulous meal.
The food is always exquisite
and, as it should be, plentiful.
I mean I really didn’t go all
that way for pyjamas and socks.
That being said, I know I’m
diff icult to buy for.
No one asks anymore.
Money is too impersonal (it’s
not, but I’m being polite) and
realistically, I know I can buy
the things that I want for myself.
If I want that $300 pair of
Uggs or a trip to Vegas, I’m
just going to have to save up the
funds.
Bah humbug.
This is how I know I’m getting old — I don’t even need my
parents to be in attendance for
both par ts of the “be a big kid”
speech.
I should simply move onto the
topic of responsibility and becoming a homeowner.
Is it too late to wish for a time
machine?
I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised at how quickly it all
tur ned around.
Christmas has never been a

International Days

February
6–10, 2012
MC115597

Looking for Volunteers
International Days 2012 requires the help of many enthusiastic
volunteers doing a variety of jobs.

To apply or for more information contact:
Krista Bergmann, Events Coordinator
250.852.6449
or email: internationaldays@tru.ca

facebook.com/international.days.2012

www.tru.ca/internationaldays

really big deal in our household,
as I was often told in my youth,
“It’s baby Jesus’ bir thday, not
yours.”
I didn’t even know that you
put stuff in a stocking until I
was seventeen.
My father abhors the ritual of
holidays and says they should
be treated it like any other day
of the year.
Yeah, that might work for
Scrooge McDuck, old man, but
I love Yule time joy and family
together ness (read as “drama”).
Unfor tunately for me, Daddy
Dearest is no longer tolerant of
childish behaviour.
So I give up.

www.theomega.ca

Vanessa Obeng

Christmas is for the little
children.
You know, the cute little bastards who r un around the house
destroying things and tr ying to
be the center of attention at ever y tur n.
It’s all about them.
They are the ones who will
lose their minds when the wrapping paper has been tor n to display the toy or electronic device
of their desire.
That is when it is exciting.
That is Christmas.
However, I would still like to
mention that I can go wild over
gifts - but an Easy-Bake Oven
just isn’t my style anymore.

I realized the best way to survive the loss of Christmas presents is to replace them and star t
my own traditions.
Thus, on Christmas Day,
I thanked my mother for the
small treasures, ate dinner with
loved ones and on Boxing Day I
shopped and saved my way back
into the Christmas feeling.
Editor’s note:
I’m not sure if this is satire.
Take it how you will — and I
will do the same.
Happy new year to you all.

“Community
calendar” in the
subject line will
help keep them at
the top of the list.

8

January 11, 2012

Arts & Entertainment

Hey writers, Munsch on this!

Acclaimed children’s author offers advice on how to succeed in the field of creative writing

Madelon Kirov

The Concordian (Concordia)
MONTREAL (CUP) — Yes, it can be
frustrating, difficult, and extremely exhausting to cultivate a wonderful piece of
writing.
But despite the obstacles of writer’s block
and trying to find widespread success, wellknown author Robert Munsch encourages
young writers to keep working at it — as he
continues to do so himself.
“I have over 200 unpublished stories that
I am working on,” the eccentric and beloved
author told The Concordian in an interview,
as he shared details about his life in storytelling and offered young writers advice on
the art of writing.
Many have grown up reading Munsch’s
short stories as children. Munsch, 66, is an
American-born, now Canadian author who
currently lives in the city of Guelph, Ont.
A member of the Order of Canada since
1999, he has published over 47 children’s
books, including The Paperbag Princess and
Love You Forever, that have sold more than
18 million copies across North America.
As an elementary student, Munsch almost
failed Grades 1 to 5.
In fact, he claims to have never learned
how to spell properly and graduated from
Grade 8 still counting on his fingers to do
simple addition.
He was generally “not a resounding academic success,” in his words.
He began writing poetry in elementary

school, which sparked his interest in literature. In high school, he did not get along with
anybody and after seven years of studying to
be a Jesuit priest, he decided that it was not
his calling.
On the topic of post-secondary education,
Munsch said, “I liked university better than
any other schooling. I think it was because
I was interested in what I was learning and
had finally taken responsibility for my education.”
Every successful writer begins small.
Munsch recalls how difficult it was to get
published.
“I never have had an agent and I sent stories to nine different publishers before one
said yes,” he said.
In 2008, Munsch suffered a stroke that affected his speech, though over the years, he
has slowly recovered and can now do public
readings again. His writing career has, however, been put on hold until a full recovery.
When asked what he believes is a writer’s
greatest enemy, Munsch answered, “Trying
to find an agent or publisher!”
He added that the most important skill
needed as a writer is perseverance and a
willingness to accept criticism.
But before getting to that point, writers
need to start at square one. To write successfully, Munsch said to “write about something you love, something you feel strongly
about or something you know about.”
This makes all the difference in the delivery of the piece; the higher the interest level
of the writer, the more effort, care, and love
is put into the writing.

When it comes to writer’s block, Munsch
explained he makes up random unrelated
stories on the spot from which more ideas
expand, and often ends up finding inspiration in the original material.
For those interested in children’s literature, Munsch shared some more of his insight on this specific target audience.
“Kids are so new. They’re so open-ended.
I can look at a kid and wonder what they’ll
be,” he said.
“The job of children is to be profession-

ally appealing to adults. That’s how they get
what they need.”
Finally, when it comes to improving
and maintaining a budding writer’s skills,
Munsch provided wise and valuable feedback.
“Keep on writing. Write a diary, write
short stories.
“You don’t learn to swim by reading about
it and you don’t learn to write that way either. If you want to learn how to write, write
a lot and you will get better at it.”

Want to get
involved in
covering
campus
news?
Apply to
contribute
to the
Omega.
We’re your
community
paper, so
you should
get a say
in what we
print, right?

9

The Omega · Volume 21, Issue 15

More News

In case you missed it, Kergin’s got you covered:
Things you probably didn’t see happening around you last month

Brendan Kergin
News Editor

Global
*Sharks
Sharks, the notoriously perfect
aquatic killing machine, may be
trying to upgrade their biology.
While sharks have barely evolved
over eons, Australian scientists
are noticing some interbreeding going on between species.
They figure this is due to climate
change, as the new hybrid sharks
are able to live in a wider variety of climates. That’s right humanity, we are are inadvertently
breeding more loveable, cuddly
sharks. That’s how everyone
thinks of sharks, right?
*Iowa Caucus
America, land of the extended
political process, was showing
off its Republican candidates last
week. In a surprise twist, Rick
Santorum did a lot better than
expected as he was one of the
nobodies. In a campaign that has
seen a constant rotation of front-

runners rallying against the inevitable choice of Mitt Romney,
Santorum may be the newest. But
the more interesting part of his
story is the definition of his name
online. Go ahead, go Google Santorum. We’ll wait.

National
*Senators
Stephen Harper has named
seven more senators to sit in the
chamber’s upper house. This will
raise the number of Tory senators
in the red chamber to 61, while
there are 41 Liberals and a couple of independents in the 105
seat room (well, there are probably more, but 105 that matter).
The new appointments have been
called everything from “remarkable Canadians” (by Harper) to
“Conservative buddies and failed
candidates” (by the NDP). None
of the senators were filling seats
in B.C.
*CEO paycheques
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives has released
its annual report on Canadian

CEOs and their paycheques. By
the time you read this it’s likely
(by the Centre’s estimates based
on 2010 numbers) that the CEOs
will have made more in 2012 than
you will for the next decade. The
telling figure in the report is the
estimate that by noon on the first
working day of 2012, the CEOs
will have made more than the average worker will all year, which
is just over $44,000. As students,
all we can say at The Omega is,
“I wonder what it’s like to have
$44,000?”

Provincial
*Riot
The first conviction has been
handed out more than six months
after the post-game seven riots singed Vancouver’s rather
clean image. The 20-year-old
man has pled guilty to his role
in the June 15th riot. In comparison, when London, England
had riots last summer, they got
arresting, charging and convicting started right away, with court
proceedings still going on, but
they’re dealing with thousands

of charges. Of course, Syria and
other Arab Spring countries have
expedited convictions quickly
by shooting the rioters on site...
so there are issues with justice
handed out TOO quickly.

*Racism
Last week in Victoria antiSemitic graffiti was sprayed on
a number of gravestones in a
Jewish cemetery. CBC also obtained a video of an attack of
an African-Canadian man being
beaten by a Caucasian man, believed to be racially motivated as
well, connected to the neo-Nazi
Blood and Honour group. As if
that doesn’t bode well for race
relations here, Gatineau, Quebec
has had a series of vandals attack
a mosque. Canada is supposed
to stand as one of the few places multiculturalism has worked.
Shame.

Local
*Weed
In the ongoing saga of the local
compassion club, the owner of
the recently forcibly closed shop

has appealed to the courts to get
his stash back. Carl Anderson is
looking to regain 900 grams of
his marijuana, which was seized
in November. While the bud may
be a little dried out, he was hoping the court would lean in his
favour as he has an exemption to
posses over a kilo of the green
stuff. Unfortunately for him,
the courts are holding out for a
bit longer while police continue
their investigation. The evidence
can be held for up to 90 days.
*Occupy
Occupy Kamloops has decided
that it will occupy the internet.
While it won’t occupy the whole
thing, it is registering its own
little corner, at occupykamloops.
com. The Occupy movement has
hit some stumbling blocks in recent times, mostly due to un-occupying a bunch of places, either
voluntarily or due to legal moves
by cities and police forces. The
Kamloops group is looking to
become a major source of information for locals and to continue
its cause from home. So...competition for The Omega are we?

The Peak (SFU)
BURNABY, B.C. (CUP) — After three years of conflict and more
than $450,000 in legal fees, the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS)
has officially left the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS).
The membership issue goes back
to 2008, when 66.9 per cent of SFU
students voted to leave the CFS. The
CFS, which is the largest student
lobbying organization in Canada,
contested the referendum’s legitimacy, and the SFSS has been dealing
with a series of legal disputes ever
since.
Although a court date had been
set for Feb. 12 for a lengthy and expensive trial that was expected to
last approximately six weeks, the
dispute was settled out of court in
late December.
Both parties released a short statement that described the settlement
as “amicable.”
“As part of this resolution, it is
agreed that the membership has
ended,” the statement read.

“The agreement was motivated by
a desire on the part of all parties to
resolve all outstanding issues.”
It further stated that neither party
would make any public statements
regarding the settlement.
There was no mention made of
the amount of the
settlement.
B.C.
Supreme
Court judge Richard Blair, in an official court document
released
in August 2010,
explained
that
he was unable to
reach a conclusion
about the case at
that time, citing
an overwhelming
amount of evidence.
Blair advised that either a second
referendum be conducted, or that
the dispute should be settled out
of court, as either option would be
more financially feasible than going
to trial in February.
Late last year, the SFSS board argued that the society was running

oversight committee.
The referendum, therefore, was
not considered by the CFS to be legally binding, and for the SFSS to
accept it breached their contract.
J.J. McCullough, chief electoral
officer for the independent electoral
commission that was
appointed by the
SFSS, oversaw the
2008
referendum.
In an interview with
The Peak, he stated
that he was still unsure if legal separation was the best
route for the union to
take, financially.
“If you hate the
CFS to a really in
—J.J. McCullough
tense degree, you
still have to be able
fees to the CFS, not including legal to look at these things from [the perspective of] a cost/benefit analysis,”
fees.
The dispute began as a result of said McCullough.
“The question is: how much more
a 2008 referendum question, which
the CFS claimed was not done in than half a million have we paid on
accordance with CFS bylaws, since this whole battle? ... I think you can
it was performed by an SFSS-ap- only really judge student politics in
pointed independent electoral com- terms of the short term, and on the
mission and not the CFS-mandated terms of how much student fees are
a projected deficit as a result of the
pending lawsuit, for which funds
had to be set aside in the event the
case was lost.
The loss of the trial could have resulted in a payout of approximately
$1.5 million in unpaid membership

“...how much student fees
are being extracted from
students right now...”

being extracted from students right
now to pay for some myopic political feud.
“That’s the kind of thing that concerns me.”
McCullough did admit that, were
the numbers in favour of the SFSS,
settling would probably be the right
choice.
Although the amount of the settlement has not been disclosed, the
total amount spent by the SFSS on
legal fees from the beginning of the
dispute until November 2011 was
$454,149.
“I’m glad that it’s over,” said former SFSS president Ali Godson.
Godson’s term was from 2010 to
2011, but she served in other capacities in the SFSS for several years
prior.
Godson ran for, and won, the position of university relations officer in
2008, with a pro-CFS platform.
She told The Peak that there was
no mention of a settlement during her
time on the board. She pointed out
that most of the current board, with
the exception of Internal Relations
Officer Jordan Kohn, were not a part
of the original CFS dispute in 2008.

Notice anything wrong with the Omega? Bring it to our attention and win a prize. We may have done it on
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11

The Omega · Volume 21, Issue 15

Sports

Women’s basketball at .500
and showing their claws
Colonna and company push for the playoffs

Nathan Crosby
Sports Editor

During the third quarter of a
Nov. 5 game against UFV, Kailey Colonna fouled out and had to
watch the WolfPack women’s basketball team win their second game
over the Cascades from the bench.
“I want the playoffs,” Colonna
said. This is her final year of her
career wearing orange and black,
along with forward Michelle Dimond and guard Kaitlyn Widsten.
After beating up Manitoba and
Winnipeg in the first weekend of
January, Colonna’s goal of taking this team to the post-season is
inching towards a reality with a 5-5
record.
“It’s funny, you never think
about the end but now there are a
single digit amount of games left in
my career,” she said.
“We’ve waited five years to make
the playoffs and we feel we have
the group that can take us there.”
The fifth-year forward was
thrilled her team beat the then-

WolfPack point guard
Kailey Colonna
(Photo courtesy of TRU
Athletics)

overrated
number-nine-ranked
Fraser Valley Cascades twice in
the opening weekend back in early
November.
The ‘Pack had meanness in their
game and Colonna, despite her
one-too-many fouls, was one of the
main reasons UFV ran back to Abbotsford shocked and scared.
That WolfPack meanness lost its
mojo in November.
The next weekend against Calgary the ‘Pack committed 25 personal fouls and lost their first game
of the year, 76-61 to the Dinos.
The next day, the team got on the
bus and travelled down Highway
2 to Lethbridge, poised to beat the
vulnerable Pronghorns.
The offence dried up and the ‘Pack
went into a four-game losing streak
that included a forgettable road trip
to Victoria that put the ‘Pack’s record at 2-4. It had erased that perfect
weekend against UFV.
“The games that are going to
haunt us are the two Victoria games
and the Lethbridge game,” Colonna
said.
Not wanting to go into the Christmas break on a downward skid,
the ‘Pack were able to run over the
Brandon Bobcats 114-58 on Nov. 25.
The next night, they came close
to beating the number-one-ranked
Regina Cougars, losing by five
points, which included a last-minute
“gimme” basket by Regina.
Optimism for 2012 was higher
thanks to a hard-fought weekend
against the class of the CIS.
“Our first game (Nov. 4 vs. UFV)
was still the best game we’ve played
this season,” Colonna said.
“That is good and bad, I guess, because we have a lot of potential that I
don’t feel we lived up to completely.
Our last game (Nov. 26 vs. Regina)
was our second-best and I think we
then found our place again.”
Colonna has a mean edge to her

game that resembles a wolverine
more than a wolf.
She always sticks out in the defensive end as a 6’2” sheriff who
will do anything to wrestle the ball
out of the opposition’s hands.
She is the unsung hero of a women’s basketball team that sits with a
5-5 record at the halfway point. She is
a nightly candidate for the Leader of
the Pack award because of that meanness and polarizing presence in the
paint against the best in the Canada

WolfPack post Diane
Schuetze
(Photo courtesy of TRU
Athletics)

West. She has been a loyal member of
TRU’s growing athletic community
her entire career.
Her belief in her teammates to
get through the tough second half is
strong because of what she has seen
her rookie players do on the court.
It was the Nov. 25 game against
Brandon when rookie guard Jade
Montgomery exploded off the bench
for 19 points.
“Jade finally had an opportunity to
show what she can do. She’s such a
good offensive player,” Colonna said.

“Our rookies and our team dynamic is probably the best it’s
been in the five years I’ve been
here. Taiysha (Worsfold) plays
much older than she is and I
think that’s because she’s been a
prodigy of Scott’s for so long.”
TRU’s offence ranks second in
scoring averaging 75.1 points per
game. They are the first team in
the Canada West to score more
than 750 points this season.
Defence ranks near the bottom
in scoring, tied for third-last
with Lethbridge with 68.2 points
allowed per game.
Following the ‘Pack’s thrashing of the Bobcats, the 58 points
they had allowed against Brandon wasn’t forgotten in the postgame interview with TRU head
coach Scott Clark.
Defence will have to be tightened up this semester if Colonna
and the ‘Pack are going to get
that playoff game, said Clark.
Offence clearly isn’t a problem, thanks in part to the most
feared post in the division, Diane Schuetze.
She is the number-one scorer
in the Canada West with an average of 19.6 points in 10 games.
Guard Jen Ju is fifth, averaging
15.3 points per game. Schuetze
is first in rebounding, averaging
10.3 per game. Forward Tracy
Kocs is in the top twenty with
5.9 per game. Second-year guard
Jorri Duxbury is third in assists.
Kristjana Young of UBC, who
will be paying the Tournament
Capital Centre a visit this weekend when TRU hosts the 6-2
Thunderbirds, comes into the
weekend second only to Schuetze in points, averaging 19 per
game.
After that, the ‘Pack are off to
take on the 7-3 Alberta Pandas
in Edmonton and the 5-4 Sas-

katchewan Huskies in the same
weekend. The ‘Pack will then
have a much-needed bye week at
the end of January before heading to Langley for a weekend
series against the 4-6 Trinity
Western Spartans.
The ‘Pack finishes the regular
season with a home and home
battle with the 2-6 UBCO Heat.
TRU is tied for the wild card
spot with Winnipeg and Victoria
and will need a healthy starting
line up if they are going to get
through a tough January to play
past February.
“Part of the reason we all came
this way and why I am still here
is because of the ties we formed
in first year. I hope because we
have a big recruiting class this
year that can grow together,”
Colonna said.
She has eight regular season
games left in her college career
to rally her team and bring some
claws to the Canada West as the
Wolf Pack make the push to the
playoffs.

WolfPack Prowl
Basketball

Volleyball

Women’s

Women’s

Friday Jan. 13
6 p.m. @ TCC
vs UBC

Friday Jan. 20
6 p.m. @ TCC
vs Brandon

Men’s

Men’s

Friday Jan. 13
8 p.m. @ TCC
vs UBC

Friday Jan. 20
7:45 p.m. @ TCC
vs Brandon

Hockey
Friday Jan. 20
8:30 p.m.
Memorial
Arena
vs Okanagan
College
Coyotes
PHOTO BY CORY HOPE
Diane Schuetze goes up to tip possession the ‘Pack’s
way to open the Jan. 6 match at the TCC.

12

January 11, 2012

TRUSU Membership Advisory
Jan 19 • 7:00pm • Grand Hall

Post-Secondary
Education Fact:

In 2011/12 the
government will
fund each student
at UBC by $6,637
more than a
student at TRU

An evening with:

Peter Mansbridge
Canada and Canadians in
a changing world

Free Admission

This Week:

• Council Meeting

Tickets Available at the
Members’ Services
Desk in the Students’
Union Building
(Limit of 2/person)